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Underground cities and networks around the World – Myths and Reality (Part 1)

Underground structures even whole cities have always been part of most of the world’s myths and religions. A few have been discovered but most of them have not. Side by side with the stories about underground structures, we have underground networks and tunnels connecting different places and sometimes extending for many kilometres and even between different countries.

In this article we will explore the myths and legends from all over the world that refer to underground cities and tunnels as well as what archaeologists and researchers have found and how these findings may be connected to such stories.

Underground Networks and Cities in Myths and Legends

According to mythological traditions, underground sites were mostly referred to as entrances to the underworld and we find such references all around the world. Although most of us think of the ‘underworld’ as a representation of ‘hell’ and therefore an imaginary or spiritual place for ‘bad’ people, in reality in ancient religions that wasn’t the case. The underworld was a place where the dead would go, but it was a place with physical entrances, guards, buildings and cities, and a place that a few mortals could visit and even communicate with the dead souls, gods, kings or the armies of the underworld. In a few cases though, according to the legends, they could even resurrect a dead person.

One of the most famous underground cities is the city of Agartha, a legendary city that is supposed to be in the centre of the Earth, the Earth’s Core. Central Asia is the origin of those legends and the race inhabiting this underground realm was called the Agharti. Theosophists refer to Agartha as a vast complex of caves and an underground network that was inhabited by the Asuras (evil demons) and enemies of the Gods. This underground network was supposedly made by man.

In Hindu mythology there are legends of a race called the Nagas, serpent like intelligent creatures with human faces that live in underground caverns. Those creatures are described as ‘children of Gods’ – immortal and able to fly - who got married with human kings and queens and supposedly spiritually advanced. Similarly, in Chinese legends dragons are not the ugly flying beasts that we believe today, but wise creature that would be mentors of kings and creators of kingdoms. Many Tibetans are mentioned to have entered those caves of the Nagas that expand miles and miles inside the mountains of Asia.

What is interesting is that a strange light emanates in those underground realms which has also been mentioned as the hollow earth inner sun . So the underground cities are not in dark as we would believe. Some of those realms now are inside Earth while in the past they used to be on the surface but were forced to move inside Earth due to circumstances like attacks or maybe even climate change.

Shambhala (a Sanskrit word meaning ‘place of peace’) is another famous holy place that for some is supposed to be a spiritual ‘paradise’, but for others it is suggested to be a real underground city with references of people that have actually visited it. Legends mention that the King of Shambhala travelled to Indi to meet Buddha and listen to his teachings. One major difference with Shambhala is that it is supposed to be a holy place in comparison to Agartha, which is a place of demons. According to Helena Blavatsky, Shambhala is located in the Gobi Desert.

On the other side of Earth, in America we have the legend of Akakor, a legend that the latest adventure of Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skulls was based on. Tatunca Nara, an Amazon jungle guide, claims to have seen the city and described not only the city but also the chronicles of the underground kingdom. According to that legend ‘Gods’ came from a solar system known as ‘Schwerta’ and built an underground tunnel system in South America. This civilization left 13 underground cities in South America in the jungles of Amazon, yet to be found.

In the Mayan mythology we have the mythical underground city of Xibalba, ‘the land that the sun goes down into’ which was inhabited by superheroes and Gods, a civilization that supposedly vanished around the Middle Ages. The entrance to this world was thought to be located in Guatemala and description of the structures and locations within Xibalba are described in Popol Vuh .

In Greece, we have the myths of Hades and the Underworld, a realm where gods and heroes lived. God Pluto was the God of the Underworld which had many different sections including the Elysium and Tartarus.

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April Holloway

Is a Co-Owner Editor and Writer of Ancient-Origins She is also a guest writer on Epoch Times and iSpectrum Magazine She completed a Bachelor of Science Psychology degree and published research in the field of Educational Psychology She has has... Read More

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